I am trying to figure something out about Little Bug’s schedule. (Which is an ongoing project I have learned over the months. Something is always changing!)

Here’s the deal: Little Bug still takes 3 naps a day. The last nap around 5:30ish is only about 30 minutes long and is never more than an hour.

Recently, Little Bug has been crying when laid down for this nap which tells me she is trying to get rid of the nap. She does eventually go to sleep. Another reason I know she is possibly trying to drop this nap is there have been a few times where she hasn’t had the nap and has done okay without.

However, the majority of the time she still needs the nap. She wakes up from her afternoon nap between 2-3pm and by 5:30ish she’s cranky and needing that little power nap.

So, you ask, what am I trying to figure out?

Well, I thought the time change would help her be able to drop this 3rd nap. Last night did not go so well. She woke up at 3pm from her afternoon nap. I didn’t lay her down for her 3rd nap. When I went to feed her the bedtime bottle Little Bug fell asleep literally 5 minutes into drinking her bottle. Great.

Try as I might I could only get 4 ounces in her. She usually eats 7 ounces before bed. She wanted her bed.

So I put her to bed. Around 4:30am she woke up crying. I knew she was hungry. I gave her 3 ounces of formula and put her back to bed. She fussed for about 5 minutes and went back to sleep.

At 8:00 this morning she was still sleeping. I woke her up at 8:00am so I can make sure she gets all her bottles in before falling asleep tonight!

She’s taking a nap now. I laid her down at 5:30, she fussed for about 10 minutes and it is now a little after 6 and she is still sleeping.

So, my delimma is this:

Do I give up on trying to drop the 3rd nap now? I know eventually she will drop that nap. If she needs it, that is absolutely fine with me. However, if she is trying to drop it I was hoping maybe the time change would make the transition a little easier for everyone!

OR…

Do I start bedtime routine earlier, feed her the last bottle earlier and then put her to bed earlier?

There are some “issues” with this too. I think this would be easier if Little Bug was on a 4 hour feeding schedule, but she isn’t. Little Bug is a funny eater. I don’t know any other way to describe it. She eats every 3.5 to 4 hours up until 6pm. Then, around 6pm I feed her 3 ounces and then at 8pm I feed her 7 ounces before bed.

The 6pm feeding has always seemed a little weird to me but it worked so I let it be. Little Bug (maybe because she is so little??) seems to do better eating less more often. She apparently needs 30-32 ounces per day because 28 ounces didn’t cut it for her last night. If she would eat 8 ounces four times a day instead of 7 ounces every 3.5 to 4 hours with that “snack” bottle at 6, dropping the 3rd nap and going to bed earlier may work. I just don’t think she is quite ready for a 4 hour schedule though.

Well, this is probably way more than any of you who read this wanted to know BUT if you are still reading and have suggestions/advice, it’s welcome!!

- Elaine